[Grammar] plural or sigular verb?

[Armin82]

I sometimes have problem using singular or plural verbs when the subject is plural!
for example: Higher amounts of soluble carbohydrates was (or were?) seen in plants during summer.
Another example, There is (or are?) strong correlations between A and B. What is the rule in this kind of situation? Thank you.

 

[Rover_KE]

Welcome to the forum, Armin.

The rule is simple: a plural subject takes a plural verb.

'Higher amounts ... were seen ...'
'There are strong correlations ...'

 

[Armin82]

Thank you for very fast reply. Believe me I have seen sentences like this many times in scientific texts written by English native people: Higher amounts of carbohydrates was seen in grapevines when exposed to lower temperature! Is the rule you mentioned flexible?:roll:

 

[Rover_KE]

NO! The example you quote is an unforgivable grammatical mistake on the part of the writer.

He/she should also have written 'exposed to a lower temperature' or exposed to lower temperatures'.

 

[bhaisahab]

No, the rule is not flexible. Please provide a link to an example text.

 

[Tdol]

I have seen sentences like this many times in scientific texts written by English native people

Some scientists may know more about the rules of science than they do about the rules of language. There are cases where the differences between singular and plural can be blurred, but this is not one of them.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Having edited hundreds of scientific papers, I can attest to that. The most talented scientists can be the worst writers.